The incident took place mid-afternoon on Sunday at Katy Market H-E-B, at Interstate 10 and Pink Oak Road.

Two fourth grade Girl Scouts and their mothers had a table set up outside the busy store. One of the mothers, Mary Matthews, said she noticed that a man came out of the store with a number of items in his cart that were not bagged.

"He came out the wrong door and was pushing the cart slowly," said Matthews, a former customer service manager at a retail store. "He saw me and went all the way into the garden area and stayed in that corner for a while."

When the man left the garden area, Matthews alerted a parking lot attendant, who forwarded the information to the management team, said store director Allison Junco.

"She notified us it seemed a bit suspicious," Junco said. "We called the Katy police. It happened very quickly."

The man was arrested in an area far removed from the Scouts' cookie table, the store director said.

Identified as Katy-area resident Chastain Cox, 29, the suspect was charged with theft, said Capt. Bryon Woytek of the Katy Police Department.

In addition to the items in his cart, other merchandise was recovered from the man's car, Matthews said.

For the girls, it was an eye-opener although they were not involved in the incident and were never in danger, she said.

"We let them know that whenever things are stolen, it causes prices to go up, because stores have to make up the loss," Matthews said. "It made an impression on them."

In appreciation for the Scouts' presence, Junco said the store bought the 25 boxes of cookies the girls had left.

"I thought it was fantastic how the Girl Scouts were there to help us that day," she said. "We really appreciate them being part of our community."

In turn, the troop gave the store a framed photograph with the girls' signatures. It's now hanging in the area where customers can buy money orders and Texas Lottery tickets and conduct other business.